Jose Mourinho looks set to take a sledgehammer to his squad.
Manchester United are likely to have a busy transfer window after a frustrating season, which has seen them fail to mount a title challenge to Premier League champions Manchester City and get knocked out of the Champions League by Sevilla. It has still been a much better season for the club than David Moyes’ short tenure and some would argue the football has been an improvement on that played by Louis van Gaal’s United side.
However, after heavy investment over the last two years, finishing so far behind City won’t sit well with United and changes are expected in the summer.
According to reports, some first-team players are expected to leave. The Telegraph reports that Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind are up for sale and there are doubts about Anthony Martial’s future. The French forward is said to be reluctant to sign a new deal, given his lack of playing time since Alexis Sanchez arrived, and he was open to possibly joining Arsenal in January. Paul Pogba’s future is also in doubt.
Mourinho reportedly has the “full backing” of United to oversee a “radical overhaul” of the squad, and while they don’t want to sell Pogba, they will if the manager decides he isn’t part of his plans. It seems Pogba will have to prove himself to Mourinho before the end of the season, or else he could be heading for another acrimonious departure from Old Trafford.
However, even if Mourinho decides that he has had enough of the French midfielder, there doesn’t appear to be many clubs interested in signing him. According to a report in The Times, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, two clubs who have been linked with a move for the 25-year-old in the past, are unlikely to bid for Pogba. The European giants are among the few clubs who could afford Pogba’s transfer fee and wage packet should he move.
Madrid reportedly passed on the opportunity to sign him in 2016, and aren’t understood to be keen on a transfer this summer. PSG, meanwhile, will have to cut back on their summer spending after coming under scrutiny for allegedly breaking Financial Fair Play rules.
So, it appears Mourinho could be stuck with Pogba unless United are prepared to take a massive financial hit to let him leave, which seems unlikely.
The French midfielder publicly clashed with Mourinho during the loss to Spurs at Wembley in January and was substituted soon after. During the defeat away to Newcastle United a week later, Pogba was taken off again and has since lost his place as a guaranteed starter. Mourinho didn’t start him in either Champions League game with Sevilla, and praised United midfielder Scott McTominay, calling him “humble” – seemingly framing the Scottish midfielder as the antithesis of Pogba.
The former Juventus midfielder was the man of the match in the dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over City, scoring twice, but was soon cast as a problem player again by his manager. Mourinho took Pogba off during the loss to West Brom at Old Trafford. After the match, he said his team had been the “masters of complicated football”, which felt like another dig at the French midfielder.
It’s difficult to see how they can both remain at Old Trafford together for another season like this. Mourinho won’t ever grant Pogba the freedom to express himself, and Pogba is never going to be the disciplined midfield destroyer his manager wants. A happy ending for all parties seems highly unlikely.
